Chapter 55: Lost Light

I forgot to sup

annoyance

from his glass full of

mingled dread and rage

Now let me take

a small draught of solace

from my own little cup

full of predicaments!

From the poem- Draught

"There is no rescue team that awaits you whenever you fall, you must team up with all you have inside of you so that you can rescue yourself from the predicament." —Tare Munzara

"Everyone's nature is not alike. Because you have found your convictions within yourself and can take refuge in your own strength, you fail to realize the predicament of others." —Rabindranath Tagore, Gora

***

Nighttime came... The end is near. And only four people remain alive on the island. Would you believe it? From hundreds of Balmackians and a few of the tribe are now so little. The previously lively island is now brimming with silence and dead bodies.

It really was not the same anymore. The utter deafening silence was deluded by the rising voices of the cicadas. Only the wind that blows in the evening remains the same. And the moon that was ever so round and bright showed itself in the same position every night.

The product of anger and revenge, which was administered with delusions and despair, caused nothing but a fleeting joy and a permanent loss of humanity; life.

What was filled with life, happiness, and voices of the people was now an empty void beside the destruction of the island. This stays as the aftermath of something unexplainable to whoever would discover the island once everything was over.

Lakambini, Pack, Xenia, and another Balmackian were the last four standing. It was not pure luck that brought them this far but their authority and their strength. Even if it does not mean that Pack is physically strong, her mentality has improved and solidified throughout her experience.

Xenia, on the other hand, was fully aware of the repercussions of his actions. His mature decisions and unwavering thoughts delivered him to the last stage on the island. Every action he made was accompanied by great precaution.

But where did the Lakambini go when she was reported missing? Was she hiding? Perhaps had matters to tend to? Lakambini didn't hide or do something important. She was just sick when everything happened and was staying in her house.

"Everything was as the book says... I know that much, but it still hurts to see my beloved kin, lifeless and robbed of their decades to come. Moreover, I've always known the reason for everything that occurred, yet I kept asking 'god' if what was written in the book was really their desire."

Burying every dead kin would take forever, so she just didn't bother herself about it. Rather, she prayed for her lost brothers' and sisters' souls. Everyone that had fallen, even the Balmackians.

"All of us were just byproducts of this world's recreation. Chess pieces in this simulation, given the goals and purposes for being alive."

When Lakambini was done preparing her bath, under the shining moonlight, gazing through the hole in her house's ceiling, Lakambini first put her barefoot on the slightly warm water filled with scented rose and vanilla extract, thus fully submerging herself into the water.

"Maybe... Just this time, I would forget the bitter memories. May this moment of silence bring me peace of mind and diversion to reality. To dream is what I wish for."

On that solemn evening, Lakambini dreamed of herself marrying a gentleman and creating a family of four with him, living in peace and unity on the island.

Never had she felt the warmth of a man nor had knowledge of how soft a man's lip is. She could not imagine herself having a family, yet her dream made her feel what it feels like to be a family.

And that right there fulfilled a dream unbeknownst to her.

On the same evening, Xenia was unconsciously lying on the altar wherein beside him was the weeping Pack. His time was near and so was their time on the island.

Pack was almost done crying when footsteps from behind her clicked in her ears. It was light and almost as if not aiming to interrupt her mourning for the still-alive Xenia.

Her head turned 180 degrees. A kid whose clothes were covered in his own blood arrived in the depths of the cave. He was not holding a weapon but a severed head.

"Arlan?! And that head belongs to..."

She jumped back, terrified at the sight and the eyes Arlan gave her. On his face was a grotesque wide smile whilst all over his face was smeared with his own blood.

"Look who I found dead not too far from where I was supposed to be dead."

Nonchalantly, Arlan threw the head on the ground and it rolled towards Pack. The head's eyes and mouth were open, as though it was in complete shock before it died.

"Eek! T-This is your..."

"Yes, that is my brother. I found him dead. I could not drag his body all the way here, so I had to use a much quicker method. By severing Thaniel's head, it made things easier for me."

From the looks of it, Arlan must have been crying, for his eyes were a bit red and swollen. Thanks to the torches everywhere in the cave, the interior was bright. Plus, the moon was sharing its beauty through the hole above them.

"D-Did the tribesmen kill your brother?"

The terror could be traced in her words back to her shaking voice. She was stammering at the terrifying Arlan. He was much scarier because of the blood all over his body.

"How I wish that it was those imprudent bastards who killed my brother!"

There was so much hate in his voice that it made Pack shake down her core. She had never seen him that angry. He looked as though he was betrayed, which Arlan actually felt at the moment.

"W-What do you mean? Are you saying that it was not them that killed your brother? Then, who?"

He gritted his teeth as he lightly lowered his head.

"Would you believe me if I tell you, Pack? I bet you won't."

"Why won't I? I am your friend! Of course, I'd believe you! Don't be ridiculous, Arlan!"

He scoffed at her words, "Hmm, really? I wonder how you would feel if I told you that it was Xenia that killed my brother?"

Her ears rang non-stop. Any more words spoken by Arlan did not register to her hearing senses, for her mind was filled with the same sentence being repeated over and over again...

"Y-You are joking..."

"Unfortunately, I am not. Xenia said it himself. In order to be the last man standing, he needed my brother's gift, which negates any sort of gift cast upon by others, thus resorting to killing my brother."

"That's not true... Xenia could not possibly—"

"He can! He already did! And I trusted him so much! I even gave my life for him and this was how he repaid me! Xenia killed my brother, so I am killing him for it!"

~